


A Potted History of Two Elder Eldars

by Malsang



Series: The Courteship of the Woods [2]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Canon Compliant, Canon Related, Character Study, Companion Piece, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Gen, Headcanon, Historical Accuracy, Historical References, Inspired by The Lord of the Rings, Magical Artifacts, Narya - Freeform, Nenya - Freeform, One Shot, Philosophy, Series, The One Ring - Freeform, Vilya - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 15:05:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17449286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malsang/pseuds/Malsang
Summary: A quick-reference summary of the timeline, names and major influences relative to Elrond Half-Elven and Thranduil at the time of the death of Smaug - Tolkien's Canon Accurate (as much as possible at time of writing. This work will be being updated as necessary).Followed by a quick-summary of speculated canon building upon these established facts, as the partial-premise for the collected works of King of the Trees, written in hindsight.





	A Potted History of Two Elder Eldars

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to use the compiled facts as reference or inspiration for your own works.
> 
> I'm not that good with keeping track of names and dates, so I don't automatically expect anyone else to have memorised the timeline of Arda sufficiently well to be able to answer (relatively) simple questions about who is who and how old they are.
> 
> All silly errors are mine.

Elrond Half-Elven chose the immortal-life; his twin-brother the mortal-life - at the direct behest of the Valar at the end of the First Age - sometime in their late 50s; by which age they should have finished puberty, but not reached full physical-maturity. Elros surrendered his mortal life at the age of 500 years, having sired a strong bloodline of kings of men which is still extant in the Dúnedain in the late Third-Age of Arda.

By the time Smaug was slain in TA 2941 - given that his twin died in SA 442 and that the Second Age lasted for 3,441 years - Elrond would have already been alive for 6,440 years!

At this point he and his three children, Elladan and Elrohir - twin-son's now 2,811 years old - and Arwen - 2,700 years old - had been without Celebrían - wife and mother; daughter of Galadriel - for the last 431 years since she sailed to Valinor.

Since the later years of the second age, thus at least 3,000 years ago, Elrond has been entrusted with the safekeeping of Vilya; one of a set of three magical rings forged by Celebrimbor in Aman, away from the influence of Annatar | Sauron. This Ring-of-Air is considered by the majority of scholars to be the mightiest of the Three; with powers aligned to healing and preservation. It's sibling Nenya, the Ring of Water - preservation, protection and concealment - has been entrusted to Galadriel | Artanis since the same date in history, before the creation of Lothlórien. Círdan secretly passed Narya to Gandalf Mithrandir after the Istar arrived in Middle-Earth in approximately TA 1000, coinciding with the rise of Sauron once more. Thus the Ring of Fire - resistance to tyranny, domination and despair - has been hidden on his finger for 194 decades. All three ring-wielders can hide themselves from remote observation by any but the wielder of Sauron's ring, as well as being protected from the weariness of time.

'Elrond firmly stated that while the Three Rings are not idle they were not made as weapons of war. They were made to preserve and heal. As they were made to ward off the effects of time, at best the rings could give the wielder extra stamina and endurance, as Cirdan stated when he gave Narya to Gandalf.' - lotr.wikia

Círdan was a great mariner and shipwright in Middle-earth. 'He was one of the three oldest living elves in Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age, along with Galadriel and Celeborn, who were all born during the Years of the Trees. At the end of the Third Age, there were no other elves who had been alive at the start of the First Age. Círdan is one of two elves, the other being Celeborn, to have spent the most time in Middle-Earth of any elf by being present in more ages than any other elf. Círdan and Celeborn were in Arda from sometime late in the Years of the Trees, through the First Age, until the Fourth Age. Tolkien has written that Círdan would sail on the last ship into the West, as he is the Lord of the Grey Havens.' - lotr.wikia

By the time Smaug was slain, Elrond had also been a foster-father for 8 years to Estel - then only 10 years old - Chieftain of the Dúnedain since his father, Arathorn II, was slain whilst hunting orcs with Elladan and Elrohir. At the request of his mother - Gilraen the Fair; 34 years old at the time of Smaug's death - his complex heritage would be kept a strict-secret until he reached full physical-maturity at 20 years of age; to protect him as the last of that line from being slain also, as his father - and his grandfather a year before his birth - had been.

Elrond renamed him 'hope' in Sindarin to conceal his identity for this period of time; therefore Legolas would likely be fruitlessly searching for the 'son of Arathorn' for at least a decade if Elrond keeps as silent on the matter as he promised the young widow he would be.

Thranduil travelled with his father to Eryn Galen before the building of Barad-dur, which began at or around SA 1000 - 5,382 years before the death of Smaug. The general consensus is that he was born during the later years of the First Age, though this mass-conjecture by those who were not there does not seem to be based on any evidence.

Whilst spying on Gundabad, Legolas remarked to Tauriel, "My mother died here. There is no grave nor memory. My father never speaks of her."

Tauriel is stated to be 1,347 years old at the time of these events, 'and is insightful into the changing nature of Middle-earth. Notably, in contrast to Thranduil's portrayed isolationism, Tauriel is interventionist, recognizing the growing evils of the world and the need to eradicate them, rather than withdraw into the safety of the elven fortress.' - lotr.wikia

.+*~^~*+. 

In The Courteship of the Woods

Thranduil introspects on his wife's death and his attitudes towards others. He has been constantly reinforcing the association of her death with dragon-fire since she was lost to him, causing his scars to resurface whenever he idly recalls her to mind. His Silvans have learnt not to mention the names of dead loved-ones - or directly speak of the specifics circumstances of such deaths - in a mirroring of his grief.

He refers to Elrond as being older than himself, and one would expect him to know whether or not he born before or after Elrond.

Elrond's personal POV on matters is not commonly known. However, there is growing speculation on what exactly this Healer / Councillor chooses to keep to himself.

A scholar who resided in Imladris when Thorin's Fourteen passed through, has more reason than most to conjecture about the Lord of Imladris' Foresights. What follows is his best attempt at unravelling the puzzle of his lord's mind.

°-×_¥_×-°

The minds of men attempt to process their fears during their sleep, in bizarrely-abstract hindsight. Thus men may suffer from nightmares, whereas elves do not; for the minds of elves attempt to process their ambitions during their sleep, in memory-inspired foresight.

Those elves who habitually dream of 'a better world', often develop active Foresight in their search for how this might be possible, as their body's survival-instincts strive to rise to the challenges of accurately pre-empting the dangers their ambitions will lead them into facing.

The dual-heritage of Foresighted Half-elves may leave them susceptible to developing a pattern of experiencing nightmarishly distorted Foresights during sleep, if their personal circumstances become overly stressful. This seems a logical hroafelmë response to an unForeseeable Node arising in the near-future, as men would measure time.

Factoring in the influence of a Ring of Power upon a wielder strongly aligned to Light Forces, the fallout of resistance to change if this Node arises in the near presence of such an individual, may be catastrophic to the mental stability of all those nearby.


End file.
